1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicle seat having two protuberant side support portions and a method for forming the same. In particular, the invention is directed to a reinforced arrangement in the vehicle or automotive seat of this kind (including seat cushion or seat back) wherein the outer surfaces thereof are reinforced to improve a side support property for supporting the lateral body portion of an occupant sitting on the seat, and a method for forming such reinforced arrangement.
2. Description of Prior Art
Vehicle and automotive seats are normally comprised of a seat back and seat cushion as a well known state of art. In some seats of this kind, either of the seat back and seat cushion is of the typical configuration having a central lowered support portion on which the buttocks or back of a driver or passenger rests, and a pair of protuberant side support portions (i.e. lateral bolster portions) defined protuberant on the opposite sides of and symmetrically relative to the central support portion. The two side support portions provide a side support effect to support and hold therebetween both thigh sides of the driver or passenger or both lateral sides of his or her from the waist up.
In manufacturing such seat with two side support portions, there has been employed a bonding process for bonding a covering material via adhesive agent to a pre-molded foam padding having a predetermined seat configuration in which a central support portion and two protuberant side support portions are formed as stated above.
In order to improve the foregoing side support effect, it has been a conventional practice to use a high-density foam padding material in forming each of the two side support portions, while on the other hand, using a low-density foam padding material for the central support portion, during the steps of preforming a given whole configuration of foam padding to be covered with a covering material. However, this approach has been found defective in the troublesome necessity of forming two different densities of padding materials and further posing a difficulty in forming them together precisely into one integral seat configuration. Still further defective aspect of it is that a passenger, who sits on this kind of seat, will feel an uneven and objectionable cushiony touch due to the two different densities of padding materials.
In avoiding that problem, nevertheless, to simply form one integral padding with a same density of foam material will result in the two side support portions being poor in the side support effect over a lengthy period of use, with a high likelihood that they will become collapsed and sink into a useless state.
With the above drawbacks in view, it is therefore a purpose of the present invention to provide a reinforced arrangement of vehicle seat which is simplified for easy production and effectively protects two side support portions of the seat against collapsing or sinking during a lengthy period of use.
In order to achieve such purpose, a reinforced arrangement of vehicle seat in accordance with the present invention is basically comprised of:
a foam padding of a predetermined shape conforming to an outer shape of the seat, which has, formed in the outer surface thereof, a central support portion and a pair of spaced-apart protuberant side support portions;
a plurality of first recessions defined independently of one another in each of those two paced-apart protuberant side support portions;
at least one first decorative groove defined in each of the same two paced-apart protuberant side support portions; and
a trim cover assembly adhesively and pressingly attached via an adhesive agent upon the outer surface of foam padding,
wherein the trim cover assembly has, defined therein, a pair of spaced-apart side support cover areas, each covering the respective two spaced-apart protuberant side support portions of foam padding, wherein, in each of the foregoing pair of spaced-apart side support cover areas of trim cover assembly, there are defined a plurality of second recessions and at least one second decorative groove, and wherein the adhesive agent is cured and hardened between the trim cover assembly and the outer surface of foam padding, so that a hardened layer of the adhesive agent is created among the plural first and second recessions as well as between such at least one first and second decorative grooves.
Accordingly, the formation of plural recessions and grooves in the foam padding, firstly, enlarges total areas of high-density film layer on the corresponding surfaces of padding per se, secondly enlarges total areas of cured adhesive layers, and thirdly causes a highly stretched state of trim cover assembly. Those three effects in the aggregate make increasingly hardened each of the two side support portions of a resulting seat . Thus, a supportive property and durability of both two side support portions is greatly improved to maintain their respective shapes over a lengthy period of use, so that a driver or passenger can attain a good unchanged supportive touch therebetween.
Preferably, the adhesive agent may be applied a greater amount to the two protuberant side support portions of foam padding than to the central support portion of the same, and the trim cover assembly may include at least one layer capable of partial impregnation with said adhesive agent, which is juxtaposed with the outer surface of foam padding.
It is another purpose of the present invention to provide a method for obtaining the above-described reinforced arrangement of vehicle seat.
For that purpose, there is basically provided the steps of;
forming said foam padding by a foaming process into the predetermined shape, such that the above-stated plurality of first recessions and at least one first decorative groove are defined in each of the two spaced-part protuberant side support portions of foam padding;
thereafter, pressingly attaching said trim cover assembly, via the adhesive agent, upon the outer surface of the thus-formed foam padding, thereby defining the afore-stated pair of spaced-apart side support cover areas at the respective two protuberant side support portions of foam padding, in such a manner that plural local points of trim cover assembly are forcibly inserted and bonded in the plural first recessions, respectively, thereby defining the afore-stated plurality of second recessions in each of the two side support cover areas, while at the same time, at least another local point of the trim cover assembly is forcibly inserted and bonded in the afore-stated at least one first decorative groove, thereby defining the above-mentioned at least one second decorative groove in each of the two side support cover areas; and
curing the adhesive agent between the trim cover assembly and the outer surface of foam padding, so that a hardened layer of the adhesive agent is created among the plural first and second recessions as well as between the at least one first and second decorative grooves.
Another advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent from reading of the descriptions hereinafter, with reference to the annexed drawings.